Ricky Shields

72nd: - Utah Flash - Ricky Shields, Rutgers

It's unusual to see Ricky Shields here, both in the draft and this far down it. Shields is a former signee of the Nets, way back in 2005, and has been at the upper echelons of European basketball ever since. Last year, he averaged 10.4 points per game for Kavala/Panorama in Greece's A1 league, then moved to Helios in Slovenia and averaged 20.3 points per game in the Adriatic League. That average came in only 3 games, yet the Adriatic League is one of the very best leagues in the world, and Shields shone in it. So why's he being picked behind Jerry Smith? And why's he even here? I do not know.

What I do know is that Shields is a scorer; specifically, Shields is a shooter. He's only 6'4 and about 200lbs, but he knows how to get the three away, and does so. A lot.

- Ricky Shields

Rutgers graduate Shields started the year with Kavala/Panorama in Greece, where he averaged 10.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He left the struggling team in January, and in February signed with Slovenian team Helios to replace Domen Lorbek. Shields has averaged 12.1 points in Slovenian league play, rising up to 20.3 points per game in the Adriatic League, a mark which would be leading the competition had he played enough games to qualify. The Adriatic League is arguably the third strongest league in the world (behind the NBA and the ACB; not including the Euroleague), and even though his numbers come in only 3 games for the last placed Helios team (6-20), averaging 20ppg in the Adriatic League is no mean feat, whatever the context.